The 7th Magpie

About the Book

Fate & Fortune, the chance meeting, the untimely word; these things can make or break our world, that’s what fascinates us or fills us with fear. Do we really guide our own lives or are we following a pre-determined pathway? Karen’s life started with poor fortune; poverty, her single mum and abuse – Gran had thrown them out. Then confusion as her religious Gran tries to make amends but insists that Karen musn’t use her ‘visions’. When Gran takes her back to live with her, Karen turns her back on her promiscious teens and works hard to secure a first class degree, a career and a wealthy husband. Hard won fate seems to be smiling on her at last. Then her fortunes change and she is now single and frustrated with a stalled career; what is she to do now? A chance meeting in a small hotel and a one night stand leads to a pathway that changes her life and all that she could wish for falls into her lap. Was this always meant to be? As her life blossoms, Karen becomes aware that all of this has roots in the past and events that seemed inconsequential are now weaving a tapestry of well-being. Was she being guided to this all of her life? What chance took her to that fateful meeting?

About the Author

R.K.McVeigh was brought up in a religious household as the child of a prominent clergyman who had the strange concept that God would arrange for the nurture of his child as he was too busy spreading the message of God’s love. As this clergyman’s wife was also too preoccupied for parenting, R.K.M. struggled to find a pathway in life and chose a career in Design instead of Literature as it was feared that this could lead to starvation or worse still, teaching. Unfortunately the design world had disintegrated while R.K.M was at Hornsey College, so as R.K.M. had worked in a pottery factory, a wholesale food warehouse and a refuse collection centre whilst a student, there was no fear in trying something else. However, jobs with the Inland Revenue, the DHSS centre for vagrants and a few poorly paid design jobs eventually led to the inevitability of teaching. ‘Not to worry’ thought R.K.M.,’ this will give me the opportunity to write, something that I should have done years ago’. However, the mental exhaustion of teaching meant that until now R.K.M. has only just completed this, the first of a dozen novels that are in various stages of completion. The ‘upside’ of this varied pathway of life has been the wealth of characters that R.K.M has encountered, including two women who were ‘morphed’ into ‘Karen’ of ‘The 7th Magpie’ which is soon to be followed by its sequel ‘Magpie’s Children’.